1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is concerned with a baton usable as a club but also capable of firing projectiles.
2. The Related Art
Nightsticks or billy clubs have long been used by police and the military for riot control and generally as a defensive weapon. When circumstances require greater force, an officer must resort to a gun. Under rapidly changing circumstances switching from one weapon to another may be a life-threatening few seconds. A single weapon combining the features of a club with those of a projectile launcher would minimize response time affording the officer a momentary edge. Additionally, a baton held launcher provides opportunity for teargas or other non-lethal projectile defense in contrast to the normally deadly force of a gun. A combination of club with non-lethal projectile force reduces the danger of unnecessary death, injury and liability.
A number of projectile launcher-baton weapons have been reported in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 752,893 (Evensen) describes a policeman's mace including a handle within which is a cartridge-discharging mechanism, a club portion, and a revolver-cylinder rotatedly mounted between club portion and handle. U.S. Pat. No. 1,598,784 (Rae et al) discloses a hand weapon including an incapacitating gas generator and an electrical means for setting-off the gas weapon activated by pressing a button on the handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,050,861 (Rolston) reports a teargas billy with a spring mechanism for activating discharge of a teargas cartridge. U.S. Pat. No. 2,195,711 (Hutchison) describes a hand weapon comprising a club provided with an axial barrel that includes a 3-chamber cartridge shell.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,728,809 (Mulich et al) describes a baton whose notable features include a plastic covering press fitted to the barrel functioning to provide sufficient mass to the launcher so as to reduce the amount of recoil to a comfortable level for the operator. The barrel interior walls are formed from a machined light-weight metal such as aluminum.
Although the art has steadily advanced in this field, there still remains room for considerable improvement. For instance, the weapons of the above-described patents still suffer from recoil after projectile discharge. Accurate aiming is thereby compromised. A means for eliminating or at least delaying recoil would be highly desirable.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a projectile launching baton that incorporates a means for eliminating or reducing recoil upon discharge.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a projectile launching baton with a firing and electrical discharge mechanism that can be activated by the same hand holding the baton.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide for multiple shell discharge from within the baton.